Method of ore treatment



June 22 1926.

J. T. TERRY, JR

METHOD OF ORE TREATMENT yFiled 0G13. 19I 1914 'lTNESSES:

` agents nor apparatus.

Patented .lune 22, 192e.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE.

:roszrn T. TERRY, Jn, or' SAN FnANorsco, CALIFORNIA, AssTeNon, BY Ensim AssIGNuENrs, To mans nncovnnrconrm, A' conronarron or namen.

METHOD F ORE TREATMENT.

application mea october 1a, i914. serial 1ro. 867,355.

f This invention relates to improvements inl methods of ore treatment and has for its object the extraction, concentration and recovery of metalliferous constituents not readily susceptible to concentration; and to provi e a rocess transforming such constit uents ren ering them amenable to gravity and flotation methods of recovery, and consists in treating pulverized ores with a sol- Y vent of certain metalliferous constituents and precipitating the dissolved metals within the pulp and recovering the precipitated and other metalliferous constituents by con. centration. E I do not confine myself to special reform of approcess can be The drawing illustrates one paratus, with which the carried out.

One way of carrying out myinvention Iin the treatment of ores containing copper i carbonate or oxide is to treat the pulver- --form susceptible to ooncentratlon.

y ized ore with a solvent such as'dilute sulhuric acid in tank 1, by agitation produced y air under pressure throughpipe 2 I prefer to havethe orepulverized to pass a forty mesh sieve, or liner; and find anv acid solution from two to five per cent eiicient depending on the value and character of the ore. This agitation may be performed with or without the aid of heat preferably introduced by steam under pressure.

The following chemical reactions occur: V

baiiie 14, discliarglng at 15, the gangu'e The pulp is transferred-to a revolvable drum or other suitable apparatus 3, in which is an element, elements or reagent capable of precipitating the copper in a This precipitant may be a metallic element such as iron and the following reaction occurs:

slime table 4, where a portion of the copper is separated and removed from the gangue.

The pulp is then treated to the actionl of hydrogen-sul hide asv in tank 5, and the remainin Y issolve copper precipitatedv as a `sulp ide.

duced byv the chemical reaction between ferrous sulphide and dilute sulphonic acid preferably in an external generator 6.:

or by other suitable means; l

The pulp is agitated in this tank b y circulating the gas through pipe 7 and blower 8, and a propeller `9 on revoluble shaft 10. A small amount of suitable hydro-carbon is added and throughly dissemi ated through the pulp by the agitation and readily films and. collects the precipitated copper sulphide, 'precipitated metallic copper and natural sulphides.

The amount and character of the` hydro- This hydrogen sulphide gas may be pro-4 carbon`depends on the ore under treatment,

and I do not limit myself toA its use, but

The pulp is then subjected to a partial vacuum in apparatus 11, maintained by suction pump 12, through pipe 13, which returns the hydrogen sulphide gas to tank 5.

In this apparatus the hydro-carbon coatedor filmed metalliferous constituents separate and, assisted by the artial vacuum, iioat upon the surface of't e pulp and .overiow tures of which are the solution and precipii tation of met-alliferous constituents ,in ores and recovering the precipitated metalli'- ferous constituents from the pulp by concentration.

It is understood that some solvents will affect certain constituents and not others as copper carbonate -will be dissolved b dilute sulphuric acid while iron pyrite wi l loo 75 have found less than one per cent oil of tar 4and crude oil satisfactory.

' not, and, therefore, that I will utilize such' solvents as will effect the solution of the j desired metal.l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The process of treating oxidized ores which comprises dissolving certain metalliferous constituents with a suitable solvent, precipitating such dissolved constituents in elemental form back into the pulp, and concentrating the resulting pulp by a settling treatment.

2. The process of treating oxidized ores which comprises dissolving certain metalliferous constituents with a suitable solvent, precipitating such dissolved constituents in elemental form back into the pulp, and concentrating the resulting pulp in part by a settling treatment and in part by an oil flotation process.

3. The process of treating oxidized ores Which comprises dissolving certain metalpound, and then concentrating liferous constituents with a suitable solvent, precipitating part of such dissolved constituents`back into the pulp in elemental form, concentrating the pulp by a settling treatment, precipitating the rest of such constituents in the form of suliides, and then concentrating by an oil flotation process.

4. The process of treating copperl containing oxidized ores which comprises dissolving the copper with a suitable solvent, precipitating the copper back into the pulp in elemental form, and concentrating the resulting pulp by a settling treatment. 5. The process of treating copper-containing oxidized ores which comprises dissolving the copper with a suitable solvent, precipitating thev copper in elemental form back into the pulp and concentrating the resulting pulp in part by a settling treatment and in art by an oil flotation process.

. 6. e process of treating copper-,containing ores which comprises dissolving the copper with a suitable solvent, precipitating part of the copper back into the ulp in elemental form, subjecting the ullp to settling'treatment, precipitating the rest of the copperin the orm of an insoluble coniby. an oil otation process.

7. The process of treating copper-containing oxidized ores which comprises dissolving the co per with a suitable solvent, precipitating ari of the copper back into the pulp in e emental form, subjecting the pulp to a settling treatment, precipitating the rest of the copper 4in the form of the sulphide, and then concentrating by an oil flotation process.

8. The process of treating copper-containing oxidized ores which comprises dissolving the copper with a suitable solvent, precipitating the copper back into the pulp by treatment with metallic iron, and concentrating the resulting'pulp by a settling treatment.

9. The process of. treating copper-containing oxidized u ores which comprises dissolving the copper with a suitable solvent, precipitating part of the copper back into the pulp in metallic form by treatment with metallic iron, subjecting the pulp to a set'- tling treatment, precipitating the rest of the copper as sulphide and then concentrating by an oil -flotation process.`

10. The process of treating copper-containing oxidized ores which comprises dissolving the copper with dilute sulphuric acid, precipitating the copper in elemental form back into the pulp and concentrating the resulting pulp by a settling treatment.

11. In a process of the class described, the following steps: subjecting a pulp containing copper oxide ore tothe action of a solvent for copper oxide; thereafter precipitatin dissolved copper from the solution bac on the pulp in elemental form; thereafter concentrating the pulp mixture by a flotation process.

12. In a process of treating ore containing copper oxide and copper sulphide, the following steps: commlnuting the ore and forming a pulp thereof; subjecting the pulp to the action of a solvent of copper oxide; precipitating dissolved copper from the soution in elemental form; subjecting the pulp mixture to a flotation process.

13. In a process of treating metalliferous ore, the` following steps: comminuting the ore and forming a pulp thereof; subjecting such pulp to the action of va solvent of certain metalliferous constituents of the ore'; precipitating the metal of such dissolved -constituents from the solution in elemental form; concentrating the pulp mixture by flotation.

14. In a process for the treatment of ore containing copper,oxidethe following steps: comminuting the ore and forming a pulp thereof; subjecting such pulp to the action of a solvent, as sulphuric acid, for copper oxide; precipitating dissolved copper from the solution in elemental form; concentrating the pulp mixture by a flotation process.'

15. In a process for thetreatment of ore containing copper oxide, the following steps: comminuting the ore and forming a pu p thereof; subjecting such pulp to the action of a solvent, as sulphuric acid, of copper oxide; precipitating dissolved copper from the solulion in elemental form by the addition of iron; and concentrating the pulp mixture by va flotation process.

16. A process for the treatment of ore containing oxide copper, consisting in comminuting the ore and forming a pulp thereof, subjecting suchore to the action of a solvent to dissolve the oxide copper, therelll) 1,5se,e15

after recpitating dissolved copperfrom the so ution in elemental form back on the pulp and subjecting the pulp mixtureJ to concentration to recover the precipitate copper from the gangue.

17. A process for the treatment of ore containing oxide copper, consisting in comminuting the ore and forming a pulp thereof, subjecting such ore to the action of a 10 solvent to dissolve the oxide copper, there` copper and naturally occurring copper sul le phide from the gangue.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' JOSEPH T. TERRY, JR. 

